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Book Chapter

How varied typologically are the languages of Africa?

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Cysouw,  Michael Alexander       
Department of Linguistics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Max Planck Society;

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Comrie,  Bernard       
Department of Linguistics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Max Planck Society;

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Citation

Cysouw, M. A., & Comrie, B. (2009). How varied typologically are the languages of Africa? In R. Botha, & C. Knight (Eds.), The cradle of language (pp. 189-204). Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/oso/9780199545858.003.0010.


Cite as: https://hdl.handle.net/11858/00-001M-0000-000F-FA2B-C
Abstract
Our aim in this chapter is to investigate to what extent it is possible to pick up signals of prehistoric events by studying the distribution of typological diversity across the languages of Africa. The chapter is experimental, in the sense that it aims to test a particular method rather than to assume that the method in question is valid. The results of the investigation will show that, while there are clear limitations especially as one goes further back into history, nonetheless there are clear signals of prehistoric events that can be traced in the geography of typological diversity in Africa. Our aim is not to develop a method that will replace other methods, in particular the comparative method in historical linguistics (Campbell 2004), but rather to see what contributions can be made in specific areas by other methods, in this particular case areal typology.